I'm on my way to believing
by LifeIsJustAGame
Summary: A few snapshots of JJ and Louis' life together, set before the epilogue of The Truth Never Set Me Free. Will be following up with at least 1 more, each chapter will be a stand-alone story. Louis Tomlinson/OC


_"We need to talk." Harry's face is screwed up in a grimace and I'm instantly worried. He sits down next to me on the sofa, and the flat is quiet and peaceful._

 _"Is everything okay? Is Beth okay? Is your mum okay?" A hundred different scenarios are racing through my head, each one worse than the last. Harry sees my panic and takes my hand._

 _"No don't worry, it's nothing that bad. I promise." He sighs. "I'm moving out."_

 _"Oh." I'm stunned; it's not at all what I was expecting. "Okay. Is it because of me and Louis?" It's been less than a year since I moved in, and although Harry promised he was fine, I've just been waiting for him to say it's too much. We're all good friends and we love each other so much, but sometimes I see the way he looks at me and Louis and it's like a punch to the gut. I think sometimes it's just the reminder of what could have been, more than anything, but I know in my heart that Harry and I were not meant to be. He has been and always will be a massive part of my life, and I know that our souls are connected, but just not in the way we thought. Not as lovers, but as friends; as family._

 _"A little, but not the way you think. I love living with you both, but I think you need your space to be together, and there's things I need too." He looks at me and I can see the worry on his face. He's hesitant in his words and his movements, unsure of how I'm going to react. Silly boy._

 _"Oh, love." I place my hand on his cheek and he leans into my touch. "You worry far too much. You have to do what's best for you." He smiles, all teeth and dimples, and I can't help but grin back at him. My beautiful best friend._

 _"Actually, I need your advice on something." Excitement replaces the worry in his eyes and I can't help but laugh. "I'm thinking of asking Beth if she wants to get a place together." He's grinning even wider now, almost bouncing in the seat as he waits for my response. I give him a few seconds of anticipation before pulling him into a tight embrace. He wraps his arms around me and I can feel him relax._

 _"Harry, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" I hold onto him tight, so proud of the man he is becoming._

 ** _*page break*_**

" _We should get married." We're cuddling in bed when he says it, his soft voice breaking the comfortable silence. He's only been home a few hours and we haven't been able to keep our hands off of each other. They've been on tour for a few months; there have been home visits and weekends away, but it's been six weeks since I_ _last saw Louis. Its the longest we've been away from each other since we got together and I've hated every second of it. It felt like I was missing a piece of me, but I wasn't the only one; Chloe and Beth both struggled too. We're all at different stages of our relationships so we dealt with it differently, but it's something we're going to have to get used to._

 _"Wow, the sex must have been really good!" I laugh. I feel tense, unsure if he's joking. I turn to look at him and there's a dopey grin on his face as he puts his hands in mine._

 _"I mean it, JJ. We know this is forever. You're all I've ever wanted." He sits up, pulling me into his lap. I wrap my arms around his neck and lean into him, still afraid that he doesn't mean it. "I love you, Miss Jones. You can't get rid of me." He laughs and I finally look at him. His eyes are so blue, so bright and full of excitement and adoration. My breathing slows and I realise that this is what I truly want. "I know this isn't a big romantic proposal, and I don't have a ring yet, but I want to marry you more than anything. I want you to be Mrs Tomlinson. Or Mrs Tomlinson-Jones, if you want to keep your mum's surname." His eyes are kind and gentle and I feel like I'm falling in love all over again._

 _I push him down onto the bed and climb on top of him. He tries to roll us over but for once I am firm and strong. "You never cease to amaze me, Lou. You know me better than anyone, you always know the right thing to say or do. I love you so much. Of course I will marry you." He cheers loudly and pulls me into a kiss that's so intense I can't even think of anything else._

 _"I love you I love you I love you!" He laughs, rolling us over so I'm pinned beneath him. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life loving you." I feel a warmth in my heart, like the final piece of a puzzle being slotted into place. After everything we've been through in our lives, I finally get my happy ending._

 ** _*page break*_**

 _"Will you give me away at my wedding?" It's the question I've been most nervous about, and I hope that Liam understands why I am asking him. His face is frozen in shock, and it almost looks like he's not even breathing. "Liam, honey? You there?"_

 _"Of course I'll give you away. I would be honoured to. " His hazel eyes fill with tears as he pulls me into a loving embrace. I realise I'm crying too, tears falling down my face as I sigh with relief._

 _"I don't have much family." I sob lightly as I pull away from him. " I'm so lucky to have you boys in my life, you are my family. I love you Liam, you've been like a brother to me and there's no one else I would want by my side as I walk down that aisle." It's cheesy as hell and we both laugh, but I know he understands me._

 _" I honestly thought you were going to ask Harry, you're so close now." Liam smiles fondly._

 _"I thought it might be awkward." I sigh. "But really I'm hoping Louis will ask Harry to be best man. Their bond is stronger than ever now, and I think that would really put the past behind them. He needs to be at this wedding to support Louis, not me. Their friendship is just as important." I hadn't actually thought about it in too much depth, but as I say the words now I know they're true._

 _"You're right, that would be best. " Liam smiles and pulls me back into his arms, and I know I've made the right decision. My little family isn't perfect, but it's perfect for me._

 ** _*page break*_**

"Wake up, beautiful." I'm stirred by a soft voice in my ear, and I slowly open my eyes. Louis is leaning over me, his eyes bright and mischievous.

"You're not supposed to be here." I murmur sleepily. His gentle laugh fills the room as he kisses my cheeks, my forehead, and finally my lips.

"I had to see you one last time." I slowly sit up as he sits beside me on the bed, and I take his hands in mine.

"You'll see me later, you silly bugger. I'll be the one in white. " I laugh and he kisses me again. His lips are warm and soft and I melt into the kiss. I feel him laugh against my lips before he pulls away with a gentle sigh.

"I know that, but I wanted to see you now, angel. Just making sure there's no cold feet." He tickles my feet through the duvet and I swat him on the arm. He laughs again and I can't help laughing with him. I've been waiting for this day for months, nervous and scared and excited all at once, but now it's actually here I feel calm right down to my bones. Louis is my one, and I am his, and we've made it work through all the shit in the past few years. This is just one more step in our life together, and I can't wait to be Mrs Tomlinson.

"Definitely no cold feet. I'm ready." I wink at him and he grins, wide and bright, and any trace of worry disappears from his baby blues.

"I'd better go before someone sees me." He kisses me once more before heading towards the door. He stops just as he's leaving and blows me a kiss, which I pretend to catch. He laughs and says "I love you." before shutting the door behind him. He's gone less than a minute before Chloe comes barging into my room.

"Oi, I saw that! He shouldn't be here!" She jokingly wags her finger at me and tuts, and then jumps into the bed with me. There's no trace of sleep in her face at all and I wonder how long she's been awake. I think she's even more excited than I am, but then she's already been through this with Niall. Their wedding day was gorgeous and quirky, just like them, and I've never seen her so happy. She deserves to be happy, they both do, and I'm glad they found each other. I've got to take a little credit for that.

"You're getting married today, twin. " She smiles.

"I know, no more crazy cat lady in my future!! Let's get this show on the road!" I pull her out of my room and towards the living room, where Beth, Gemma and Lottie are waiting with big grins on their faces. "I'm so glad you're all here with me today." I embrace each one of them, and then we begin getting ready for the best day of my life.

 ** _*page break*_**

I take one last look in the mirror, and the woman before me is not someone I've seen before. She is strong and beautiful, with love and laughter in her jade green eyes, and I find it hard to believe that she is me. I thought I would be sad for the rest of my life, plagued with loss and bad memories, but now I realise that everything I've been through has built me into the person I am today. I am strong, I am beautiful, and I deserve to be happy. Louis makes me happy, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure he is as happy as I am.

Liam is waiting in the hallway as the girls walk down before me, and he claps loudly as they pass him. "Girls, you look absolutely beautiful." I can hear him say, and my girls are happy and excited as they walk out to the car. I take a deep breath and then descend the stairs to where Liam is waiting for me. He doesn't hear me at first, but as soon as he sees me his hazel eyes fill with tears. He reaches out and takes my hand and I can feel my eyes welling up.

"Don't you dare ruin my makeup, Liam bloody Payne. Chloe will kill you." He laughs and places a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"You look absolutely beautiful, JJ. I mean it, an absolute vision. Louis is a lucky man." His voice is soft and his eyes are kind and earnest. I squeeze his hand and gesture to the door .

"Shall we?" I tease, and he opens the door for me, still tightly gripping my hand. He's my anchor today; any nerves or doubts that had tried to surface have been well and truly quashed. As we get into the bridal car I wave to the girls, who are in the car in front. They all look so beautiful in their baby blue dresses. They're my something blue. I'm also wearing my mums favourite hair clip, not only as something old, but also to have a piece of her with me. My gorgeous bridesmaids bought me a beautiful silver necklace with mine and Louis' initials engraved on to a heart; it made me cry when they gave it to me, and it's the best something new I could have asked for. The only thing I don't have is something borrowed.

When we arrive at the venue my heart flutters with excitement. The flowers around the door of the church are so beautiful; Gemma helped me pick them a few weeks ago and they are perfect. Everything looks perfect. It's autumn, my favourite season, and I'm surrounded by trees covered in many different colours. Everybody is inside except for Jay, who is waiting by the door. I can tell she's already been crying, and as I step out of the car she lets out a tiny sob.

"Hello, darling. You look incredible." She embraces me as only a mother can, and I feel a brief stab of longing for my own mother. I'm lucky to have Jay; she's been such a wonderful mum to Louis and the girls, and she gracefully took me into her family from the moment we met. "I wanted to give you this." She steps back and holds out her hand. In it is a beautiful pin covered in colour and character. "I wore it on my wedding day, and I want you to have it today. It can be your something borrowed. " She places her hand affectionately on my cheek, and in her eyes I can see all things she wants to say. I'm grateful she doesn't mention my mum, and she pats my cheek lightly before slipping back into the church. I fasten the pin to my dress and smile fondly. Liam takes my hand and together we line up behind my wedding party; Gemma and Niall, Beth and Zayn, and Lottie and Stan, Louis' close friend. Chloe is waiting for Harry, Louis' best man. He steps out of the door and instantly pulls me close. I catch a glimpse of tears in his eyes but I don't mention it. He doesn't say a word either but he doesn't need to; I can see it all in his teary eyes and his beautiful smile. He squeezes me once more before taking his place next to Chloe.

Each pair makes their way into the church, and as they do I'm filled with so much hope and love. Everything is perfect, exactly the way I wanted it, and all I want now is to see Louis' face. I'm absolutely buzzing as Liam holds his arm out to me. I place my hand on his elbow and squeeze gently, and wait for the sound of the wedding march. I hear music but it's not what I'm expecting. It takes a couple of moments to recognize it, but when I do I have to hold back the tears. Liam doesn't look surprised.

"Who's idea was this?" I attempt a laugh but it comes out more like a sob.

"Louis'. He ran it past Chloe, but he wanted something a bit more personal." He smiles.

"Personal?! I'm walking down the aisle to one of his bloody songs!" I tease. It makes perfect sense though, and I take a breath before stepping through the doors with Liam. I can see everybody looking and smiling, but there's only one face I'm searching for. My eyes find his across the room, and the look of love and wonder on his face makes me want to run to him. He's crying, almost sobbing, and he whispers something to Harry that no one else hears. Harry grins and pats Louis on the back, and it makes me so happy to see them like that. They're like brothers again, as they always should have been.

 ** _*you can't go to bed without a cup of tea, and maybe that's the reason that you talk in your sleep. And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep*_**

Louis is mouthing the words as I walk towards him, and he holds out his hand for mine. Liam smiles proudly as he takes my hand and puts it in Louis'. The second I touch Louis I want to hold him and never let go; he's the love of my life, my soulmate, my epic love. Whatever you want to call it, that's him, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

 ** _*page break*_**

We stand in the doorway of the church, husband and wife, and I kiss him again and again. Everyone is cheering and I realise I was wrong; I have plenty of family. I have Louis' family, Harry's family, and our beautiful friends. So many people are here to witness the best day of our lives and I've never felt so loved. I'm surrounded by warmth and laughter, and I grip Louis' hand tightly as I pull him into the cloud of confetti.

"I love you, Mrs Tomlinson." Louis grins.

"I love you too, Mr Tomlinson." I kiss him once more. "Now let's party!"

 ** _*page break*_**

 ** _Oh, be my baby. Oh, be my baby. I'll look after you. It's always have and never hold, you've begun to feel like home. What's mine is yours to leave or take, what's mine is yours to make your own.*_**

Louis sings the words into my ear as we dance, and tears threaten to fall again. There was no question about our first dance; it was always going to be this song. Our song. I lean into Louis, my arms wrapped tightly around him as we sway to the music, and he kisses my forehead.

"I've never been this happy in my whole life. You know that, right?" I'm crying again and he cups his hands around my face and kisses my nose.

"I know, angel. I know." He kisses me one last time and then looks up over my shoulder and grins. He takes my hand, twirls me around, and then gently pushes me towards someone. Louis laughs as he leaves, taking Chloe's hand and pulling her into a dance, and I realise who the person I'm facing is.

"Harry." I look up at his face and his smile is warm and inviting.

"Hello, love. Dance with me?" He pulls me into his arms and whirls us around the room. I feel as if I'm enclosed in a bubble and the whole world has melted away. I no longer hear the sounds of laughter and music; it's just me and my Harry. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart. And Louis. The look on his face earlier just sums up how he feels about you."

"Speaking of, what did he say to you?" He knows exactly what I'm talking about, and his smile grows wider and mischievous.

"I'll never tell." He laughs, his eyes bright, and I know that he's telling the truth. I lean my head against his shoulder and relish in the time we have together. It's not long before I'm pulled away to dance with somebody else, passed around from pillar to post, until I eventually find Louis' arms again.

"Hello, husband. Fancy seeing you here." I press my lips to his, savouring the taste, but pull away when somebody taps my shoulder.

"Sorry to interupt, but can I borrow the bride for a sec?" That familiar Irish voice is full of cheer, and a little slurred, and Louis laughs once more and gestures at me.

"Be my guest. I will see you later." He kisses me once more, slow and sweet, and I turn to Niall.

"Hello, you. Having fun?" I smile. He pulls me into his arms and squeezes me tight.

"Of course I am, darling. Not as fun as mine of course, but we're getting there." His laugh is rich and infectious. We dance for a while, making conversation about the wedding and their new album, and then I am passed again to another set of arms.

"My turn, love." Zayn takes me away from Niall and over to the other side of the dance floor. We dance to the new beat, all hips and laughter, and then we're joined by Liam. His smile is bright and kind, his eyes full of happiness and laughter, and I kiss his cheek.

"I hope you're having a wonderful time, JJ." Liam says, taking Zayn's hand in his. "Everyone is enjoying themselves, some a little too much, and some people are starting to leave."

"Yeah, a few people have said bye. It is starting to get a little late." I look at them both and feel a tenion hanging in the air. They are gripping each other's hands tightly and Liam has worry lines forming on his forehead. "So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or am I going to have to drag it out of Liam? He's the weakest, I know he will crack first." They both laugh a little awkardly and Zayn touches Liam's face lovingly.

"We don't want to take anything away from your day, but we can't keep it secret any longer, and we wanted to tell you first." They look at each other lovingly and I almost feel like I'm intruding.

"Zayn asked me to marry him." Liam's eyes are brimming with hope and love, and Zayn kisses his cheek fondly. "We wanted to tell you first because if it wasn't for you making us get our shit together we might not be here."

"Oh I'm so happy for you two! You're not taking anything away, you've just made my day even better!" I pull them both into an embrace and a few tears are shed. "I love you guys so much, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Liam brushes a tear from my cheek and then pulls Zayn onto the dancefloor. I finally have a moment to myself and I take in all that is around me. Niall and Chloe are slow-dancing in the middle of the floor, despite the fact that the beat is not really made for it. They look so happy and in love, and again I am glad they found each other. Harry and Beth are sat together at one of the tables, and I see Gemma sit down to join them. Their cheeks are flushed with alcohol and joy, and Harry is holdng Beth's hand over the table. Phoebe and Daisy are running around the hall being chased by Felicity and Lottie, and I can't help but laugh. Someone has clearly given those girls too much sugar. Again, I am hit with a stab of longing for my mother; she would have kept those girls under control. She was always so good with kids. She had wanted more, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I wish she was here to see this. I hope she's proud of me.

"Oh love, I have missed you." I'm startled out of my thoughts as Louis puts his arms around my waist from behind me. He kisses my hair and whispers dirty things in my ear.

"Now now, Mr Tomlinson! We are in public!" I can feel my face flushing and I hear his melodic laugh in my ear. He turns me around and kisses my lips, his hands tracing patterns on my waist. This time there's no interuption and I feel as if we're kissing for the first time; my pulse is fast, my face still flushed, and I hold onto his hips like I might never let go.

"Take me to bed." I whisper against his lips, and I definitely don't need to ask twice. He takes my hand and leads me out of the hall and up the stsirs to oir room for the night. We don't bother saying goodbye to anyone; they'll understand why. Tomorrow we will say our thank you's and goodbyes, but tonight is for us. Husband and wife, lovers eternal, starting the rest of our lives together; who could ask for more?


End file.
